Recipe | Sinusitis Prevention Tea

I get requests from people all the time about things I do to stay healthy, but I've never saved it before...Here ya go, Tia!!! This recipe was written down just for you!!! (And for you, dear reader!)

Hi, Tia,

Okay, I'm finally sitting down to write you this recipe. Whew! I've been a little under the weather, but not with sinusitis! LOL! I haven't been sick in SEVEN months since I started this regimen and you KNOW that's huge for me (I had chronic sinusitis every month and a half for five whole years)!

Sinusitis Prevention  Tea

WARNING: This tea is highly addictive and picky children absolutely LOVE it!

I stopped taking antibiotics and started drinking this tea. I take 10 sprays when my throat starts feeling sore, I drink my Sinusitis Tea twice a day, and it keeps the bugs at bay!

Ingredients: 

Boiling water

Coffee sized mug

1 cinnamon stick (in bulk from Natural Grocer)

1 Tea Infuser spoon (see pic attached) full of Marshmallow Root (Spoon and root in bulk from Natural Grocer)

Spoonful or two of local, raw honey (I like Good Flow from HEB)

10 drops of GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract is $14 at Natural Grocer)

1 whole dropper full of Echinacea (liquid at Natural Grocer)

1/4 tsp. Slippery Elm Bark Powder (in bulk from Natural Grocer)

Vanilla Hemp Milk to taste

Directions:

Place cinnamon stick, marshmallow root, GSE, echinacea and spoon with honey in the bottom of a coffee mug. Boil water until teapot whistles then pour it into 3/4 of the cup. Stir with both spoons. Add the slippery elm. Whip (as if whipping eggs) using both spoons. The slippery elm can be tricky to get to dissolve and I've found that the whipping motion really helps. Add vanilla milk to the top.

Once you've bought all these ingredients you'll have enough for a 3 month supply. I suggest putting the herbs in glass jars to store. The Echinacea will go faster than the GSE. The GSE will last you a year. I also recommend that you buy some colloidal silver which will run you $14 for a small bottle or $32 for a large bottle (spray is unnecessary, but I like the spray). 

Love, CC

Recipe Photos:

Tea Infuser Spoon

Marshmallow Root

Slippery Elm Bark Powder

GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract)

Colloidal Silver

Treatment Plan | Turmeric

 I've been buying a different size of canning jars every month so we can get rid of the PLASTIC.
People complain that everything costs so much before they go GMO Free, but it can be cost effective if you change your eating habits like making sure you only make what you're going to eat. One way to offset the costs of organic food is to make your own holistic teas. I prefer them to pharmaceutical pills!

Every month I add another holistic med to my repertoire. This month I added the spice turmeric. I've been doing a lot research about Turmeric. Turmeric is nature's very best medicinal spice. The stuff is potent and I LOVE it.

Here's what I've found out about Turmeric...it's a godsend when you're ill with a cold, stomach problems, pain and mental health!

Recipes:

Turmeric Sore Throat Remedy+Take 1/4 tsp of organic Turmeric (no fillers) and swallow. Do not eat or drink for 20 min, repeat up to 3 x day until eased. Should only need to do it once or twice.

Turmeric Runny Nose Remedy+Take 1/2 tsp in a glass of warm water 1/2 hour before meals 2x day for 2 days. It will dry the nose. As a general tonic use as a condiment in cooking.

Turmeric Immunity Tea*This tea makes 24 oz. of tea. Drink a demi-size tea cup and save the rest to drink for the next couple of days. 
Ingredients1 tsp. Organic turmeric powder or 1/2 tsp fresh grated turmeric root+1 TB Honey
1 tsp. Organic ginger powder or 1/2 tsp. Organic fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp. Organic cinnamon
1 tsp. Organic Echinachea
10 drops of GSE
3 drops of Sovereign Silver Colloidal Silver
24 oz. Water
Splash of Almond Milk
InstructionsPut the echinachea in a steel tea ball in a cup. Add the turmeric, honey, GSE and cinnamon. Boil water then add it to a big glass canning jar. 

Turmeric Wellness Tea*Drink this tea when you're ill with a cold. 
Ingredients 1/2 tsp Organic turmeric powder or 1/4 tsp fresh grated turmeric root+1/2 tsp Organic ginger powder or 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger1/2 tsp Organic cinnamon1/2 Organic lemonPinch of fresh grated black peppercorns1 TB Manuka Honey1 tsp. Sovereign Silver Colloidal SilverSplash of Almond Milk
Combine all ingredients and add a cup of water to a teacup.
*Remember that if you're giving these teas to children under the age of 10 that you give them half the amount than an adult would drink.

Turmeric Diarrhea Tonic
Ingredients1 tsp. Organic Turmeric Powder or 1/2 tsp. fresh grated Organic Turmeric Root+5 oz. Warm water (warm not HOT)
Mix well and drink fast. Repeat in one hour if needed.

+For all Turmeric remedies I suggest using fresh grated turmeric if at all possible OR juice it. I buy my turmeric at Natural Grocer, a natural food store in town. I cannot find fresh turmeric root anywhere else. It works quicker than the powder.

Wellness Journal | Severe Pain Will Take Over If I Let It

The last five days were hell. I was in so much pain 24/7. 

I smoked a lot, but it barely touched the pain. 

Every time I lifted something with my left hand I was sure I would drop it, so by the second day I didn't bother holding much. I tested out my theory a couple of times a day…but I couldn't do anything with my hand. I couldn't…and it was hell.

Is this how I want to spend the rest of my days? Only using my left hand minorly? I can't lose the function in my arm. I just can't. I'm a writer. I need to feel of the keys under my fingertips to write. I need the noise, the pattern that the keys make as they tat, tat, tat across the screen. It fuels my writing.

When I think that I may lose that it deeply saddens me. 

It's easy to feel defeated with this disorder. I find myself crying at least once a day. It's not that I'm feeling sorry for myself. It's just that I'm so very tired of the pain. It's exhausting. I don't sleep well at night and I spend my days trying to look for distractions, or at the very least, something that will make my heart laugh. I think that's the best thing one can do when in a chronic pain situation.

Look for the good.

So, every morning I wake up next to a beautiful man. I thank the lucky stars for him. He makes me feel treasured and tortured all in the same breath. He reminds me to feel the good moments so that they can carry over into the bad. And that's a beautiful feeling. It's a beautiful feeling to feel alive even when parts of me feel dead.

Channeling that energy helps me stay positive and not get carried away to the dark side of pain. The dark will creep up on you, attack you when you least suspect it and sink it's teeth into your neck. Like a vicious dog it's intent is to tear your sanity to pieces. Your job is not to let it. 

So, I spend my days…
breathing. meditating. losing myself in music. laughing. enjoying the feel of the sun on my face. and remembering to put my feet in the grass.

Research | Tardive Dyskinesia

Prognosis: "there is no known cure or treatment option to improve symptoms. In fact, many physicians will simply opt to change the patient's medications or eliminate medication use altogether although, ultimately, symptoms of tardive dyskinesia may not improve". [Source]

What Tardive Dyskinesia is:
Antispychotics cause the disorder which is mainly characterized by involuntary movements more often in the face and hands.

"They are often mistaken for psychiatric disturbances and patients may be shunned. During episodes of dystonia, opposing muscles that should relax contract. This can result in a limb that appears distorted. One of the most common manifestations is an ankle that twists and won't bear weight. In some cases, muscle groups that should be uninvolved in the activity being attempted will get involved. The result can be shoulders that swing violently during walking or an entire arm and shoulder that cramp and contort while the hand is holding a pen. In some instances, the opposing hand/arm/shoulder may also contort in a perverse sympathy." [Source]

Tardive dystonia is a syndrome of sustained muscle contractions, frequently causing either (a) twitching and repetitive movements, or (b) abnormal postures (14). Blepharospasm, grimacing, torticollis, retrocollis, and the Pisa syndrome are characteristic movements of tardive dystonia. [The Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia] 

Antipsychotics work by blocking dopamine receptors along three pathways, and over the long-term, these pathways become increasingly dysfunctional (at least in a high percentage of patients.) The dysfunction in the basal ganglia leads to tardive dyskinesia. The dysfunction in the limbic system and the frontal lobes leads to tardive psychosis and tardive dementia.

So, the antipsychotics blocked my dopamine and as a result, I now have TOO little dopamine: 

Dopamine is defined as a catecholamine. This means that it is a hormone functioning as a neurotransmitter. The body's nervous system is a sophisticated communication network with the brain sending signals to the various systems through electrochemical impulses. These signals travel through the nerves to the terminals, where they interface with receptors on the surface of cells. In order for those signals to pass from the nerve endings, or synapses, to the cell receptors, dopamine — in very specific amounts — must be present. Dopamine also affects emotional state, perceptions, behavior and cognitive thinking. 

This paper proposes that the neuropsychiatric symptoms of tardive dyskinesia, akathisia and pseudoparkinsonian tremor are modulated by a noradrenergic pathway that projects from the locus coeruleus to the linbic system. -AND- Noradrenergic modulation of the limbic system by way of the locus coeruleus accounts for a number of clinical observations, such as the worsening of tardive dyskinesia by stress, the greater risk for tardive dyskinesia in patients with affective disorder, the time-of-onset of tardive dyskinesia, and the coexistence of tardive dyskinesia and pseudoparkinsonism. [source]

The influence of stress on dopamine receptors: 

Besides the qualitative approach to coping with stress, what bodily mechanisms are responsible for dealing with anxiety? The nervous system is almost solely credited with this task. The complex interaction system between billions of individual neurons facilitates large number of behaviors that result due to inputs originating inside and outside the organism. Spaces between neighboring neurons are called synapses, and one way in which they communicate is by sending chemical signals called neurotransmitters across the presynaptic membrane to the postsynaptic membrane. Years of nervous system research have determined that stress activates the neurotransmitter, dopamine. [source]

Although some alternatives and dopamine agonists (drugs that help to restore normal levels of dopamine) have been of some use in treating tardive dyskinesia, the best treatment found thus far is prevention. [source]

Holistic Solutions for Tardive Dyskinesia:

1.  1,600 IU of vitamin E [Source]
2. Vitamin B6 [source]
3. Ginko biloba, 240 mg/day [source]
4. Tarvil Amino Acids [source]
5. Cannabis Oil {[One Study Only for Tardive Dyskinesia] [The afore mentioned study in PubMed] [Cannabis and cannabanoids] [Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Tardive Dyskinesia on Medical Efficacy List] [Cannabis Oil, a Natural Cancer Cure, Natural News] 
1. CB₁ receptors are found primarily in the brain, to be specific in the basal ganglia and in the limbic system, including the hippocampus. [source]
2. Cannabinoid receptors are activated by three major groups ofligands, endocannabinoids (produced by the mammalian body), plant cannabinoids (such as THC, produced by the cannabis plant) and synthetic cannabinoids (suchcaas HU-210). [source]
3. The CB₁ receptor is expressed mainly in the brain (central nervous system or "CNS"), but also in the lungs, liver and kidneys. [Source]
4. U.S. National Library of Medicine's take on CBs. [source]
5. Cannabinoids and Dopamine receptors [source]
6. However, in the reward circuit, just as in the case of other drugs, more dopamine is released. As with opiates, this paradoxical increase is explained by the fact that the dopaminergic neurons in this circuit do not have CB1 receptors, but are normally inhibited by GABAergic neurons that do have them. The cannabis removes this inhibition by the GABA neurons and hence activates the dopamine neurons. [source]
7. This is the ULTIMATE research that advocates for the positive use of cannabis in Tardive dyskinesia patients!

Recipe | CC's ACV

ACV is AMAZING! I've never felt as good in my own body as I have since I've been taking it on a regular basis. ACV boosts your immune system like no other thing on earth. The ACV and the ginger in it will also help with inflammation and the turmeric in CC's ACV will help to detoxify your liver.

Some people say you should drink it with a straw so prevent the enamel on your teeth from being ruined, but I say that you can do that as long as it's a GLASS  or STAINLESS STEEL straw. There's no point in making this if you're going to poison your body with a plastic straw because this drink is all about HEALTH.

CC's ACV

There are a lot of recipes out there. This is my own. I modify it every week as to what my body needs. For example this week I added 20 drops of GSE and some homemade Vitamin C.

Ingredients
1.5 inch nob of Organic Ginger Root*
(3) 1 inch nobs of Organic Turmeric Root*
1 gal. of Purified Water
1 c. Organic 100% Apple Juice
1 c. Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Organic Cinnamon powder
3-4 TB. Raw Local Honey

Instructions
Juice* the ginger and turmeric. Boil some water. In the glass bowl (with the juiced turmeric and ginger) add your honey and cinnamon and then pour on the boiling water. This will help the honey dissolve properly. Then those ingredients along with the rest of the ingredients in a gallon container and mix.

*If you don't have a juicer, then you can simply chop up the roots and add them to boiling water and let them steep, but juicing is better as it gives your body direct nutrients faster. Also, if you can't find organic turmeric root at your natural health food store, then consider using 2 tsp. of organic turmeric powder instead.

I drink one to two cups a day to help my immune system. It is also helpful with indigestion and tummy trouble. I make it every single week. It's a useful home remedy that one should always have on hand!

Recipe | Homemade Analgesic Balm

Are you using Extra Strength Tiger Balm or Capsaicin Creme? 
Then this holistic recipe is for you!

Analgesic balms are good for back aches, arthritis, carpal tunnel and many other physical ailments. 

Cayenne pepper eases joints and relieves cramping. Turmeric is good for inflammation and ginger is 

good for pain. I include Coconut Cannabis Oil in mine because it has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and 

relaxing effects on muscles, but it can also be made with just coconut oil.


Happy Holi(stic) Hunting!

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Analgesic Balm

for the skin

Ingredients

1 c. Olive or Almond Oil
1 TB Organic Ground Cayenne Pepper (Fiesta Cayenne is shown in pic as I was out of organic.)
1.5 c. Organic Coconut Oil or Organic Coconut Cannabis Oil
1 TB of Organic Turmeric, grated
1 TB Organic Ginger Root, grated
Double Boiler or (as shown in picture) a glass/ceramic bowl over a pot

Instructions

Grate your tumeric and ginger. Mix together ground cayenne, turmeric, and ginger. Add this to olive oil in a double boiler and stir until mixed thoroughly. Warm over medium heat for 5-10 minutes and then add in beeswax. Stir until the beeswax has melted completely and everything is blended together. Heat over medium heat in a double boiler for 15 minutes, and then remove it to cool and infuse for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, strain and reserve the infused oil. 

Put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, take it out and whisk it then put it back in for another 10 minutes. Take it out and whisk it again. Store in a canning glass jar in the refrigerator. It will expire in 2 weeks.

If you want to make a stronger balm, add another TB of cayenne.

Application

Apply sparingly to area and leave on for five minutes. Rinse off with water only and allow the oil to infuse into your skin.

NOTE: Turmeric will stain if not rinsed off.

Recipe | Cannabis Coconut Oil and Salve

The Economist: "If (Marijuana) were unknown, it's discovery would no doubt be hailed as a medical breakthrough. Scientists would praise it's potential for treating everything from pain to cancer and marvel at it's rich pharmacopoeia; many of whose chemicals mimic vital molecules in the human body."

Why I decided to make Coconut Cannabis Salve

My doctor informed me that I had a brain disorder that caused focal dystonia in my arm. I had incredible pain in my arm. My hand cramped so badly every minute of every day. I couldn't straighten out my hand; it looked like a claw. I had been on Vicodin for a while, but that didn't even seem to work any more.  My doctor prescribed an antidepressant. I didn't want to take another medication. I was tired of medications that didn't seem to work as well as they proclaimed.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had heard that cannabis oil could cure cancer if taken internally and skin cancer if applied externally. I wondered what it could do for my arm...

I did some research and found out that cannabis oil has incredible healing properties. It has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and body relaxing properties. It can heal burns, stretch marks, acne, and sore throats. It is good for migraines, back aches, arthritis, and even skin allergies. 

There are many who would not care to smoke it, but I figured that this was an experiment that I would not mind finding out the outcome of. I wanted my arm healed! I applied the salve to my arm for two weeks. My arm felt so much better.  The cramping was gone! 

Then the following week I stopped using it. My pain returned within three days. I knew that I hadn't used it for long enough to cure it. I started using it again. Like a miracle it worked! The pain was reduced, the cramping eased, and I could type again! Perhaps my brain disorder is something that will never be cured, but it can be controlled with this holistic recipe.

Happy Holi(stic) Hunting! :)

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Coconut Cannabis Oil

to be eaten or used in the following salve recipe

Ingredients

7 oz. Organic Coconut Oi

1/4 ounce bag of smokeable Marijuana, frozen overnight

.5 c. Water

Coffee Bean Grinder

Instructions

Grind up the marijuana in your coffee bean grinder. Use a small spatula to make sure you get every single bit of it and it's dust out. Any leftover dust can be scooped out with your finger and eaten. It won't get you high, but it is good for you.

Boil the water and put the ground marijuana into your pot. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir continuously during that time. Next add the coconut oil. Simmer until it has melted all the way through.

Once melted, pour the oil into a wide mouthed canning jar. Carefully scrape the sides of the pot with a rubber spatula to get every little bit into your jar. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning you will find the coconut oil has floated to the top and left some water at the bottom of the jar. Discard the water.

To use you can break the hardened coconut cannabis oil into pieces or remelt to add to a salve or to eat. Refrigerate and use within one month.

Coconut Cannabis Oil Salve*

for your skin

Ingredients

Coconut Cannabis Oil (see above recipe)

30 drops of Valerian, liquid

15 drops of Kava Kava, liquid

 .5 c. Olive or Almond Oil

Rosemary Essential Oil (anti-inflammatory)

Double boiler or a glass bowl and a pot that fit snugly together

Instructions

Melt coconut cannabis oil in the microwave for 30 seconds. Boil water in the bottom section of your double boiler. Pour the coconut cannabis oil into the double boiler. Add the olive oil and the essential oil. Stir frequently. Warm for 15 minutes. Set the bowl aside to cool a little. Pour into a wide mouthed canning jar and put it into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Take out and whisk it. Put it in for another 10 minutes, then take out and whisk again. Refrigerate and use within one month.

NOTE: Use a different essential oil if you have high blood pressure, epilepsy or are pregnant.

*If you're interested, please check out how to make Analgesic Balm with Coconut Cannabis Oil.